Air bags are a known safety device installed in vehicles today. For supplemental occupant protection during a collision, air bags may be used. Air bag packaging is a continuing challenge. The need to position the air bag such that it will be deployable in the desired space must be reconciled with spatial constraints imposed by other vehicle componentry. For instance, frontal air bags are traditionally installed in the hub of the steering wheel for the driver and in a recess of the instrument panel for the front seat passenger. This allows the air bags to fill the space between the passenger and the front interior of the vehicle upon deployment in a frontal collision.
Frontal passenger air bag modules are relatively large and may drive larger than desired instrument panels from an interior volume stand point. Vehicle designers are exploring ways to provide more interior space for the passengers. One means is to design an “open cockpit”, which could benefit from packaging the frontal air bag in a non-traditional location that is not within the instrument panel.
In addition, the art continues to investigate alternative ways to deploy air bags.